


Plans Always Change

by gluttrell



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Clexa, F/F, Fluff, Modern AU, Modern Day, The 100 - Freeform, clarke/lexa - Freeform, clexa au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-08
Updated: 2016-04-06
Packaged: 2018-05-19 04:34:40
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 18,057
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5953783
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gluttrell/pseuds/gluttrell
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Clarke had a plan, a plan that involved going to college and not letting anything pull her focus from medicine. But, plans change. Clarke's plan started to change when on a whim she decided to stop for a cup of coffee and a certain brunette barista instantly became a distraction.</p><p>The 100 Clexa AU</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first time writing anything like this so please let me know what you think, be honest! And let me know if it's worth it to write more. I hope you enjoy!

College was far more exhausting than Clarke Griffin ever thought it would be. Sure, she knew it would be hard. What she was studying was demanding and kept her busier than she could have anticipated so she was tired. Growing up with a mother as a doctor definitely helped inspire her to study medicine herself, but it was her desire to help people and fix things that pushed her to go to school for medicine. She had applied and was somehow miraculously accepted into one of the country's best pre-med programs, her future was really coming together. After moving her whole life from her small hometown to the big city, she immediately threw herself into her first semester of college, learning everything she could learn about medicine. Now she was breathing, eating, and sleeping all things medicine. Barely three weeks into her program and she was drowning. Her course load was extreme and she already had a few sleepless nights to her name. 

She had just finished up her last class of the day and was not looking forward to another night of homework ahead of her. She knew she should feel lucky and grateful to be getting to do what she was doing but she didn’t have a life. Not that she’d have anything to do if she wasn't swamped with work because she left everyone behind when she moved away for school. Her friends, family, everything she knew. But still, some sort of life wouldn't hurt. 

On her walk home from class she realized she could barely keep her eyes open and she knew she needed some sort of pick me up or she might end up sitting down on a bench on the street and passing out. About three blocks from her apartment sat a small coffee shop that she had more than once considered checking out but hadn’t had the time, she decided now was as good a time as ever considering she was in dire need of a caffeine fix. 

It was a chilly evening and she was immediately hit by a wave of warmth when she pulled open the door to the coffee shop. It was quaint inside, she could tell it was an independent business and not some terrible coffee chain owned and operated by a big company that could really care less about coffee. It reminded her of her favourite place back home and she suddenly missed all the familiar comfort of her life before college. 

One whole wall of the coffee shop was floor to ceiling bookshelves with couches sitting in front of them and a fireplace sat in the corner. Tables and plush chairs were scattered throughout the rest of the place and it felt very cozy. 

Clarke breathed in the strong aroma and knew that coming inside was one of the best choices she had made all week. She walked up to the counter and gazed up at the menu on the wall in front of her. Her stomach growled but she pushed that aside and instead decided she needed nothing but the biggest and strongest cup of coffee they sold. 

A woman popped up from behind the counter, not expecting it Clarke was visibly startled. 

“Oh I’m sorry, I always do that to people!”

“It’s okay,” Clarke said with small smile. Her eyes trailed down to the name tag on the woman’s shirt. Anya.

“What can I get for you tonight?” Anya asked.

“I will have the strongest and biggest cup of coffee you can make me. “ 

“That I can definitely do, one strong cup coming up.”

Anya turned away to start making her coffee so Clarke pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and busied herself by aimlessly scrolling through emails. She hadn’t heard a phone ring in the background, the exchange of voices, or noticed that someone different had taken Anya’s place behind the counter.

“Here’s your coffee, big and strong like you requested.”

The voice pulled Clarke’s attention away from her phone and when she looked up it wasn't Anya standing in front of her, but someone very different. The first thing she noticed was a pair of the greenest eyes she had ever seen. Then she noticed the smile, bright and pretty damn near perfect. Brown wavy hair fell around her face and Clarke was completely captivated. She couldn't look away and stood silently with a blank expression on her face. The woman behind the counter narrowed her eyes at Clarke and that was enough to bring her out of her trance like state. 

“Oh uh thanks…thank you,” Clarke mumbled, suddenly feeling very awkward for gawking at the complete stranger. 

Anya re-appeared and Clarke looked between the two women and smiled nervously. She picked up her cup of coffee and headed towards the couch by the wall of books. 

“Way to go Clarke,” she said to herself under her breath. When it came to women Clarke wasn't exactly smooth. Though she didn’t exactly have a whole lot of practice either. She set the coffee down on the table and pulled two textbooks and her laptop out of her bag and got to work. Now her heavy college classes needed her attention, even though what she wanted to do was redeem herself by trying to strike up a normal non-awkard conversation with the attractive barista. 

Somehow she managed to stay strong and stick her nose straight into one of her textbooks. Despite being in an unfamiliar place, Clarke was able to focus on her work really well, even more so than she ever did at home. It may have been because of the coffee or the atmosphere but whatever the reason was, it was certainly helping. Though the stranger that made her coffee for her never left the back of her mind, Clarke managed to keep her eyes on her paper and not turn around and seek her out. 

Losing herself in her work meant that Clarke was totally oblivious to what was going on around her and she hadn’t once pulled her focus from the book on her lap. 

It was now completely dark outside and everyone else had left the coffee shop ages ago, leaving Clarke alone and totally unaware. Her mind was swirling with information about human blood cells and how bone marrow was the source of it all. It was fascinating. So fascinating that she didn’t even notice someone come to sand behind her and look over her shoulder. 

“Those look like some pretty intense books.”

“Hmm?” Clarke pulled her eyes away from the page and looked up to find the object of her earlier thoughts. All the information about blood cells that she had just learned went right out the window simply because of a pretty girl, a very very pretty girl. 

“The books, they look intense. Are they?”

Clarke was awkwardly silent again until she looked at her book then back up at the person behind her. “Right! The books, yeah they're um, they're pretty intense.”

The girl came around to the front of couch and outstretched her hand to Clarke and smiled again. “I’m Lexa.” Shit that smile, Clarke thought. 

Clarke returned her smile and shook her hand. “I’m Clarke.”

“Well Clarke, you've been pretty immersed in whatever it is you’re reading over here and I hate to disrupt you but I’ll be closing up here soon,” Lexa said.

Upon hearing that Clarke’s eyes immediately scanned the coffee shop to find that she was in fact by herself. All the chairs were pushed into the tables and Anya was nowhere to be seen. She and Lexa were the only two people in the room. Quickly Clarke began to pack up her things, not wanting to make it weird by being one of those annoying people that stay past closing time. 

“Wow I am so sorry,” she said as she stood up and started to scramble. She had set up a workspace for herself on the table and papers were spread everywhere in a messy pile. 

Lexa smiled again and laughed a little bit at Clarke’s sudden realization that she had stayed long after she was finished her cup of coffee. “It’s okay Clarke, I didn’t want to bother you earlier than I had to because you seemed pretty dead set on doing whatever it is you were doing. Very focused.”

“I was studying. I had tons of reading to do and notes to write tonight. I totally lost track of time. I’m so sorry if I kept you longer than you had to be here.”

The flustered blonde was trying to clean up everything as fast as she could when she dropped her bag and all the papers spilled out onto the floor. Embarrassed, Clarke sighed and got down on her knees to gather everything up as quickly as she could. She didn’t think it could any worse.  


Lexa couldn’t pull her gaze from the beautiful woman now kneeling on the ground before her. Blonde hair and blue eyes were always a winning combination and Clarke was the epitome of that combination. She was undeniably beautiful and Lexa was thanking some sort of higher power for giving her the current interaction with Clarke. 

“Here let me help.” She followed Clarke to the ground and started picking up paper too.

“You really don’t have to…”

“Please, I insist.” Lexa handed Clarke the pile she had gathered and they both looked at one other a little nervously. Clarke took the paper and brushed her hand against Lexa as she did by accident, sending a slight shiver through both of their bodies.

“Thank you.”

They stood and Clarke stuffed it all back into her bag along with her textbooks and her laptop. “Again, I'm really sorry about this. I don’t normally get so caught up in my work.”

“Really, it’s fine,” Lexa replied. And it was fine. Totally fine. Clarke was gorgeous and Lexa didn’t mind being in the presence of someone she was so instantly drawn to.  
“And in case you're interested, we’re open later on Fridays so please feel free to come back and lose yourself in your work again.”

Clarke wasn’t sure how to respond to that, but the way the brunette was looking at her made her never want to go anywhere else. She was definitely coming back on Friday. “You know, I just might do that.”

They walked to the door of the coffee shop together and Clarke was surprisingly a little reluctant to leave. Even though she really did have work to do, the thought of leaving and ending her moment with Lexa was something she did not want to do. But she managed pushed open the door and hovered over the threshold, even with Lexa smiling at her, green eyes almost seeming to sparkle.

“Thank you for the coffee,” Clarke said as she stepped outside and back into the world that existed outside of the coffee shop. 

“You are very welcome Clarke. Don’t be a stranger okay? Hopefully I’ll see you in here again.”

“You will, goodnight Lexa.”

It was officially Clarke’s new favourite coffee spot and it had absolutely nothing to do with the green-eyed beauty that worked there. Absolutely nothing at all.


	2. Chapter 2

Friday took far to long to arrive and each minute of Clarke's day had passed by painfully slow. With only two classes, she thought it would be easy enough to keep her attention fixed on school but boy what she wrong.

Lexa was the only thing she was thinking about and as hard as she tried to focus on something else, her mind continuously wandered to thoughts of the brunette. 

Snap out of it Clarke, she thought, you don't know this girl at all. 

She’d be lying to herself if she said she didn't want to get to know Lexa more. It had been so long since she felt any real desire to get to know someone. When her last relationship ended she made the choice to use all of her time and energy on school and to put herself first. Any thing that would distract her from that was not good.

Yet there she was sitting in her last class of the day staring off at the wall instead of at the professor. There she was completely distracted. Maybe she just wanted a friend. some form of companionship since she was on her own? But trying to convince herself that that was the case was proving to be a challenge because after getting home just a few nights before, she went to bed with images of Lexa swirling through her head that were most definitely more than friendly. 

The professor signaled the end of the class and Clarke let out of a sigh of relief. She gathered her things and pulled on her jacket, pushing her way through the crowd of her classmates. 

Technically she was only going to the coffee shop to sit and “study” but if Lexa were there, studying would probably be the last thing Clarke wanted to do.

Clarke Griffin was nervous and she didn’t get nervous. She was worried that she'd say the wrong things again and make a fool out of herself, ruining any chance at all that she might have. As she stood in front of the mirror in her bathroom she looked herself over and gave a nod of approval. She settled on black jeans, a flannel button down shirt, and her blue leather jacket with boots. It was as good as it was going to get.

It was nice to only have to walk a few blocks to get to her destination and Clarke was now looking up at the sign hanging on the wall above the coffee shop. Grounders Coffee was painted in cursive in an array of beautiful warm colours. It suited the style of the interior perfectly. 

“Well hello again, just couldn’t stay away huh?”

Anya was sitting down at one of the tables with a book in her hands when Clarke walked in. Her eyes searched the room for Lexa but much to her disappointment, she was nowhere to be found. 

Clarke raised her hands in defeat but smiled. “You caught me, I just couldn’t stay away.”

“So how strong do you want your coffee today?”

“I don’t think you even needed to ask that question.”

Clarke set some money down on the counter near the cash register and went to the couch by the wall of books and sat down. She was glad the space was empty so she could create a nice little workspace. It was mostly so to give the illusion of work if Lexa showed up, unless she never showed up which would mean it really would be a workspace.

Anya brought over her coffee and examined the papers and books Clarke had pulled out of her bag. “Looks like you’ve got a busy night ahead of you.”

“You don’t even know the half of it,” Clarke said, picking up the coffee mug. She brought it to her lips and took a sip, reveling in the caffeine entering her system. “Thanks for this, it’s definitely going to help.”

“Anytime, besides it’s nice to see a new face in here. The shop actually hasn’t been doing too well lately, it’s pretty hard to compete with the big coffee places you know?” Anya started to organize some of the books on the wall and it seemed like something she probably did often.

“I love places like this. I’m really glad I decided to come in the other day.”

The door to the coffee shop opened and both Anya and Clarke simultaneously turned their heads in the direction of the sound. Lexa walked in while digging around for something in her bag when she felt eyes on her. As she looked up her gaze locked with Clarke’s and they both smiled shyly.

“Yes I’m sure you’re very glad.” Anya smirked; knowing exactly why Lexa and Clarke were looking at one another that way.

Lexa quickly disappeared behind the counter and out of sight. Needing to take a minute to steady herself. She didn’t know why she felt the way she did about Clarke so soon and it scared her a little bit. But it definitely meant something. 

She felt a pull to Clarke despite being complete strangers. She silently prayed to not embarrass herself in front the blonde and tied her apron around her waist and emerged from the back. Not wanting to seem eager, she got to work cleaning up instead of going to talk to Clarke right away.

She watched out of the corner of her as Anya said something that made Clarke laugh. It was a sound that Lexa immediately loved, and she vowed to try to make Clarke laugh again.

Lexa had always been strong willed, rarely letting anything other than work dictate her life. Sure she only worked at a coffee shop but she took it seriously because she needed to. But for the first time in a very long time, a girl walked into her life…or her coffee shop rather, and without a second thought Lexa had already broken some of her rules. Work, save money, no relationships. Not after the last one. 

There was a phrase she often repeated to keep herself on track, don’t let yourself falter. Was she jumping the gun by chastising herself for being so interested in Clarke so soon when they’d only ever had one single conversation? Probably, but it broke her rules and she never broke the rules.

“Wait, she seriously owns the place?” Clarke asked Anya, needing to confirm that it was indeed true. While Lexa was working the conversation between Ana and Clarke continued. Somehow that piece of information had come up.

Anya sat down on the couch beside Clarke and nodded. “She seriously owns the place.”

“How old is she?”

“She’s 20. Pretty crazy right?”

Clarke was having trouble wracking her brain around the idea that at such a young age, Lexa was the owner of her own business. “I know it’s not really my place to ask but how?”

“That my friend is something you’ll have to talk to her about.”

“Maybe later, she seems pretty busy right now.”

“Well she is the owner after all. But that’s my cue to go, I am done for the day. Enjoy your coffee…person whose name I actually don’t know yet?”

“It’s Clarke, and you’re Anya.”

Anya smiled and tapped the nametag on her shit. “Nice to see this thing works, it’s great to meet you Clarke. Maybe we’ll do this again sometime.”

Not wanting to get her hopes up or seem to eager when it came to actually getting to talk to Lexa that night, Clarke chose to actually start doing work even though for once she didn’t have all that much left which was a nice change going into the weekend. 

About a 15 minutes after Anya left, Clarke was chewing on her pen and reading another chapter in her textbook when she noticed someone set down another cup of coffee on the table in front of her.

She looked up from the book to find Lexa standing in front her. “I thought you could use another caffeine pick me up, I hope I didn’t interrupt.”

“You didn’t,” Clarke replied a little too quickly for her own liking. 

Lexa brushed her hair behind her ear and licked her lips,; something everyone did naturally without even noticing, but it was like Clarke was watching her in slow motion.

“So…” Lexa slipped her hands into the front pocket of her apron, “I meant to ask you the other day what it is you were working on.”

“Oh…well right now it’s mostly biochemistry but I’ve got some cell physiology work and some linear algebra. It’s…it’s not very interesting so I’ll save you the boring details.”

So she’s smart, Lexa thought. And by the sounds of it she was very smart. Cell physiology and linear algebra? Lexa considered herself to be intelligent but she wouldn’t even know where to begin when it came to subjects like that. 

“So I assume you go to the university then. Is it hard?” Lexa mentally slapped herself for her word vomit. Of course it was hard. 

“Want me to be honest?” Clarke asked. 

Lexa smiled and said, “please.”

Clarke took a deep breath and rubbed at her temples. “It is the hardest work I have ever had to do in my entire life and most days I feel like a complete failure.”

“Clarke, I’m sure you’re anything but a complete failure.”

The way her name sounded rolling off of Lexa’s tongue was even better than she could have imagined. Clarke never realized she could be attracted to the way someone spoke until now. 

Lexa took a seat beside Clarke on the couch and their closeness didn’t go unnoticed by either of them. It was almost as if for a moment everything around them started to fade and they were all that mattered. 

Clarke gulped and looked at her stack of work, the work that had been suffocating her for weeks now. What she had before her now was what she considered easy, a light amount of work but there hadn’t been a single day in her semester yet where she felt successful.

“You don’t know me well enough Lexa.”

“Well you were clearly smart enough to get into the school,” said Lexa, though what she wanted to say was please let me get to know you more Clarke. 

“I was just lucky,” Clarke replied.

It didn’t go unnoticed to Lexa who was now wracking her brain trying to come up  
with a better topic of conversation. She sat silently like a fool until it was Clarke who spoke up, instead of her.

“But enough about me, what about you Lexa? Always had a thing for coffee?”

Just as Lexa was about to answer the question three people came into the coffee shop. Clarke looked towards the door and knew Lexa would have to go and actually do her job. 

“Sorry,” Lexa said. She stood up and started to back away from the couch. “Duty calls, but I will be coming up with a very great answer to your question while I am over there so don’t you worry.”

Clarke smiled and watched as Lexa turned around and went to do her job. Ten minutes of conversation was all it had taken for Clarke to be hooked. She couldn’t decide if that was sad or impressive. She kept glancing behind her at Lexa as she worked then quickly looked away so she didn’t get caught staring. The brunette wore a look of total focus as she steamed milk and poured intricate designs over the coffee to finish off the drinks.

Making coffee had never looked more appealing than when Lexa did it. Clarke could hear her make small talk with the customers and she laughed at something one of them had said. Hearing more of that laugh was certainly something Clarke wanted to do, and it would be even better if she were the reason for it. 

Even though she was working, Lexa couldn’t help but look back at Clarke too. Every time she did the blonde was reading her book or rustling through papers in her bag but just as she handed over the last coffee to one of her new customers, she looked at Clarke to find her looking right back. 

Clarke immediately turned away, knowing she had been spotted. “Nice one Griffin,” she whispered to herself.  
Once she was done cleaning up, Lexa wiped her hands off on her apron and walked out from behind the counter. She headed back over to Clarke and leaned down with her forearms resting on the back of the couch. 

“I have answer to your question Clarke,” she said.

Clarke turned and Lexa realized how close her face was to the blonde’s. She subtly, or what she hoped was subtly, studied her eyes and the curve of her lips. Clarke’s mouth curled up slightly in the corners and Lexa had to lean back a bit before she did something very stupid like impulsively kiss a blonde woman she barely knew in her coffee shop. 

“Go on,” Clarke said.

“Basically I was left a bunch of money and I decided to do something with it. I figured I liked to drink coffee and I like going to coffee shops, why not open my own.”

“Did you always want to own a business so young?” 

Lexa moved around the couch and sat down in the spot she was sitting in earlier. “Not really,” she answered. “But I guess at the time it seemed like a good idea. A lot of people tried to talk me out of it, told me they thought I’d fail and I’d just be wasting my time and effort. It’s not all I want to be doing.”

Clarke studied Lexa’s face. “What else do you want to be doing?”

“I’d really like to go to school,” Lexa answered.

“How come you didn’t use the money for that? I mean…if you don’t mind me asking.”

It was a question Lexa had asked herself more than once, and she never had a very convincing answer. “I don’t really know to be honest. I think partly because I don’t know what I’d study and I didn’t want it to be a waste.”

“Well this place is incredible Lexa, really. You should be really proud of yourself.”

Lexa blushed and smiled again. In fact her smile hadn’t really gone away since meeting Clarke. “Thank you, I really appreciate that.”

Conversation flowed with ease between Clarke and Lexa and without even realizing, the end of the night had snuck up on them. Lexa of course had to get up and help any customers that came in and make sure everything stayed clean but then she would sit right back down with Clarke. She sat and listened while Clarke explained some of the work she was doing, and loved getting to see the blonde’s expressions change with each bit of information. She in turn told Clarke about some of her decorating choices for the coffee shop, earning her bright wide smiles. 

It was as if they’d known each other for years and they shared an undisputable chemistry that neither of them had ever experienced before. 

“Did you need any help cleaning up?” Clarke asked while Lexa was behind the counter putting away some clean coffee mugs. 

“You don’t need to do that Clarke,” Lexa said.

Clarke began to help anyways and went around to start flipping some of the regular chairs up onto tables. “Where do you keep your broom?” she asked.

Lexa stopped what she was doing and put her hands on her hips. “Clarke you are not sweeping for me, that is my job.”

“I want to help though, I really do.”

“Are you sure? Because you can go ho-“

“Lexa, I’m sure,” Clarke said cutting her off, “let me help.”

Finally Lexa pointed to a closet and Clarke got the broom from it and started to sweep. Music was still playing through the coffee shop speakers and she started to hum along. Lexa’s heart swelled at the sight and she had to force herself to keep doing her job instead of watching Clarke.

It only took them bout ten minutes to finish up and Clarke waited by the door while Lexa shut off all the lights. They both walked outside together and Lexa took her keys out of her bag so she could lock the door.

“So…” Clarke said as she stood on the sidewalk with her hands in her pockets. All she wanted to do was ask Lexa if she wanted to hang out again, outside of the coffee shop, but she didn’t know how. Her nerves were getting to her again after a mostly successful embarrassment free night,

What Clarke didn’t know was that Lexa wanted to ask her the same question. She leaned with her back against the door and bit her lip, searching for the right words. 

“Did you want to maybe…um…go out sometime Clarke?” 

Very smooth. How could she say no to that? Lexa asked herself. 

“Yes,” Clarke answered without a second thought.

Lexa’s eyes lit up. “Really?”

“Yes really. I’d love to go out with you Lexa.”

They both stood staring at one another like love-struck fools. 

“I should probably give you my phone number then,” Lexa said. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and held it out to Clarke who in turn held hers out to Lexa.  
They each typed their numbers into the others phone and handed it back. 

“Are you free tomorrow night?”

Clarke nodded. “I am for you.”

Lexa laughed a little and brushed some hair out of her face behind her ears. “Good, then I will see you tomorrow night Clarke, back here?”

Clarke was completely enamored and officially knew she was screwed. She had only known the girl two days and she was already in too deep but didn’t even care. Lexa was completely worth it.

“I will definitely be here.”

They each turned to head off in their separate directions, not really wanting to leave. 

“Goodnight Clarke,”

“Goodnight Lexa.”

Finally they both spun around and headed home, feeling happier then either had felt in a long time.

Saturday was going to be a pretty damn good day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who read the first chapter, I decided to keep going and hopefully you like this one too!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone that has read this so far, I really appreciate it! I loved writing this next chapter and I hope that translates. We all deserve some happiness every once in awhile, so please enjoy!

Lexa was pacing around her apartment. She hadn’t been on a date in well over a year and she still couldn’t believe that someone like Clarke Griffin had said yes. Now all she had to do was come up with the best date idea she could possibly think of and that was the cause of her pacing. Back and forth and back and forth. Every time she thought she had come up with something great, Clarke’s face appeared in her head and her good idea turned into a horrible one.

She wanted their date to be perfect and unforgettable. Clarke deserved something amazing and Lexa wanted to be the one to give it to her. After leaving the coffee shop the night before, she had spent the entire walk home with a smile never leaving her face. 

Spending the evening talking with the blonde had been incredible, and was easily one the best nights she had in a long time, which is why she knew she had to get things right with Clarke. She could feel something between them and she’d be damned if she let that slip away.

Lexa sat down on her couch and put her head in her hands when suddenly the idea came to her. It was actually something she had wanted to do on her own for a while, but would be even better with Clarke. She pulled up the website on her computer to make sure they’d be able to go and started to put everything in place. 

Meanwhile Clarke was sitting in the university library trying to finish her paper that was due on Monday so she’d be able to enjoy a night with Lexa without the stress of school hanging over her head. She was amazed that she was actually able to get anything done considering how excited and nervous she was at the same time. How she was able to land a date with someone like Lexa, she had no idea. But Clarke knew she had hold onto her any way she could.

Four hours later Lexa was standing in front of the coffee shop waiting for Clarke. The shop closed early on Saturday’s so she didn’t have to worry about being called in to help out with anything, she’d be able to enjoy the night with Clarke worry free. She leaned against the window and crossed her arms, watching cars come and go and people walk past her. She casually looked around until her eyes spotted Clarke heading in her direction. Her heart instantly started beating faster, and she knew she was in for a night of constantly second-guessing her words and actions. She really didn’t want to screw this up.

“Hey you,” Clarke said when she got close enough. Her first thought was how beautiful Lexa looked. Her hair had been pulled back in a few braids and she was wearing a leather jacket not all that different from Clarke’s.

“Hi,” Lexa said and smiled shyly. “You look great Clarke.”

Clarke looked down at her own outfit choice and blushed. It wasn’t much different from what she was wearing the day before but she appreciated the compliment, especially coming from Lexa.

“Thank you, so do you. So what do you have planned for the night?”

“Well…it’s a surprise.”

Lexa turned away from the coffee shop and Clarke followed, quickly coming beside her and matching her stride. “Can I at least have a hint?” she asked.

“Nope,” Lexa said and shook her head, “you’ll just have to wait.”

“Are we walking?”

“Yes Clarke, we’re walking.”

Clarke hadn’t lived in the new city long enough to really have any idea where Lexa could possibly be taking her. She didn’t really know any of the landmarks or popular places, but at the same time she had a feeling that Lexa would take her somewhere out of the ordinary.

They walked side by side quietly for a few minutes, both of them a little nervous and unsure. Clarke’s hand accidentally brushed against Lexa’s and she quickly pulled it back. 

“Sorry…”

“Nothing to be sorry about Clarke,” Lexa said. She had actually been thinking about wanting to hold Clarke’s hand but it was bit too soon for that. 

“So I don’t about you but I think we can do better than this silence,” Clarke said, earning her a smile and a nod from Lexa.

“I’m sorry, I’m not usually so…quiet.”

Clarke laughed a little because neither was she. Being with Lexa scared her because of how invested she had already become. After such a long time of keeping her heart closed off, she felt it come back to life almost immediately when she her, and that was a lot for her to deal with. It made her question all of her words carefully.

“What’s your favourite part about living in the city?” Clarke asked, deciding that was a good question and one that she was very interested in hearing the answer to.

“Hmm, that’s though," Lexa said. She bit her lip and really thought about her answer.

“I’d have to say the people and the energy. I mean my shop is in a quieter area and not so close to all the sort of hustle and bustle but I love that there’s always something happening, you’re never far from something new and exciting but you’re also never far from going back into your own quiet place.”

“That’s one of the first things I thought when I got here. It’s so different from where I was before,” Clarke said.

“What was it like where you were before?”

Clarke’s hometown was small with a population of about three thousand people, making it a vast comparison to the hundreds of thousands of people that lived where she was now. 

“It was…slow. I lived there my whole life and nothing ever changed. Everyone knew everyone, for the most part.”

“That doesn’t sound so bad, “ Lexa said. What Clarke was describing didn’t sound terrible to her, she had never known a life like that and part of her wanted to. 

Clarke shrugged. “I guess it wasn’t but after…” she stopped herself and couldn’t finish the sentence.

“After what?” 

“My dad died and it was just never the same.”

Lexa stopped walking and reached for Clarke’s hand. She laced their fingers together and Clarke met her eyes with uncertainty. She knew what it was like to lose someone and how hard it could be to get past it.

“He’d be so proud of you Clarke.”

The words that came out of Lexa’s mouth took Clarke by surprise. Years of hearing people apologize when they learned of her fathers death had turned the word sorry into something without much meaning, even if people did always mean well by saying it. But what Lexa said brought the sting of tears to Clarke’s eyes and she fought her hardest to blink them away before Lexa noticed.

Her life had completely shifted when her father died, and she never thought she’d find her way back from that loss but now she was standing on a sidewalk in a city far from home with a beautiful girl holding her hand, telling her how her father would be proud. 

“Thank you,” Clarke managed to say, trying to not sound too choked up. “That means a lot to me Lexa.”

They started to walk again but Lexa never let go of Clarke’s hand and neither questioned how natural it felt. 

They didn’t stop again until Lexa let Clarke know that they had reached their final destination. Clarke looked up in awe at the building in front of her. 

“Really? We get to go in here?”

“Yes we really get to go in there. I’ve wanted to come here on my own before but I never have and I thought…well I thought you might like it.”

“It’s something I miss from back home,” Clarke said as she thought about all the nights she had spent laying out on the grass looking up at the sky. “You could always see the stars, there weren’t as many lights as there are here.”

“Well Clarke, how about we go and look at some stars?”

When they walked inside, Lexa reluctantly let go of Clarke’s hand so she could buy their tickets and they were led into the main viewing area. 

Having never been to a planetarium before herself, Lexa didn’t know what to expect once they were inside but Clarke’s very obvious excitement meant it didn’t matter what she thought about it. All that mattered was that Clarke enjoyed herself.

The planetarium was essentially a big dome shaped room full of seats and the curved roof over them was covered by a projection of what seemed like a million stars. Most of the constellations were visible and the Milky Way spilled across what was essentially the sky. It was hard to believe that what they were looking at wasn’t real.

Clarke lost herself in the world above her. The stars were so bright, brighter than she had seen them in a long time. Even though she knew they weren’t real she was still so fascinated by what she was seeing. Without pulling her eyes away, her hand reached out for Lexa’s and found it right away. She ran her thumb softly across the top and turned to look at Lexa who had been watching her intently. 

For Clarke, the brightest things in the room were the stars and for Lexa the brightest thing in the room was Clarke.

“This is incredible Lexa, I don’t even know what to say.”

Suddenly a voice started to come through a sound system and started to tell a story. They found somewhere to sit down so they could watch and listen and all of the constellations shining above them were explained. 

Both Clarke and Lexa kept sneaking glances at one another and they didn’t bother shying away from it anymore. It was so plainly obvious that there was something between them that couldn’t be ignored. Sometimes you just can’t fight chemistry, and in the moments of those stolen glances and soft smiles, they decided not to try. 

“Whenever things would get hard for me, I would go outside and just watch the stars,” Clarke whispered with her eyes still fixed on the scene playing out on the ceiling above. “After my dad died, a piece of me sort of disappeared and I would stare up at that huge sky and try to find it. I would be out in the backyard for hours, sometimes all night, just imagining what it would be like if I were somewhere else or if I were someone else.”

“I’m glad your not someone else Clarke,” Lexa whispered in return.

When the planetarium show finished they lingered a little longer than everyone else just so they could get in a few more minutes with the stars. Eventually the lights turned on and shattered the illusion of a real sky above them. They took that as their cue to leave.

“That really makes you feel so small doesn’t it?” Lexa asked Clarke once they got outside. She was staring up at the sky and turning in circles. “Like there is so much out there and we’re just these tiny little parts of the universe.”

Clarke caught Lexa when she started to get dizzy from spinning. “I think someone has a new found love for the stars.”

All Lexa could focus on was Clarke’s lips. She wanted so badly to just reach up and press her own against them but she had to wait because the moment had to be perfect. Clarke catching her after she spun around like a fool was not the perfect moment.

“You’re right,” she said standing up straight, “I think I do.”

“Maybe one day you can go home with me and lay outside to see the stars like that for real.”

It was a pretty presumptuous thing to say and definitely spur of the moment. It would mean they continued to date, which of course Clarke wanted, or they’d at least continue to be friends. And the thought of lying with Lexa under the stars did sound pretty great.

Lexa smiled because hearing Clarke say that meant that what she was feeling wasn’t one sided. It meant that Clarke had already started to think about what would happen next for them.

“I’d love to do that someday Clarke,” she said.

“So…um, what’s next for us tonight? I mean unless you’ve got to go or something…because I can totally go h-“

“Next is part two of our date,” said Lexa, interrupting Clarke mid sentence. 

“What’s part two?” 

“You sure do like asking questions Clarke.”

“I just hate surprises.”

“Well…have I let you down so far?” Lexa smirked and Clarke shook her head in response. “That’s what I thought. So follow me.”

They walked a few blocks and ended up outside of an old style diner. Lexa was earning herself a lot of points and Clarke couldn’t believe she had managed to plan such an incredible date in just a day. 

“I hope you like diner food,” she said and took Clarke’s hand in her own, pulling her inside. 

The diner was complete with a working jukebox in the corner and the classic black and white tiled floor with red bar stools lining a long counter. Cozy booths ran along the adjacent wall with windows and there were vintage metal signs hanging on the walls advertising things like Coca Cola and old classic cars. It was like they stepped right back into the fifties. 

A poster that hung beside the entrance said to “seat yourself” so Lexa picked a booth at the far end so they’d have a little privacy. The place was pretty dead but it was a Saturday night and anything could happen.

“I’ve never actually been to a place like this,” Clarke said as she slid into the booth. Lexa slid into the opposite side and smiled as Clarke took in her surroundings.

“I’ve always loved this place.”

“Is this where you bring all your dates?” Clarke joked.

“Very funny.” Lexa picked a menu up and started to read the back but stopped and looked at Clarke. “But the answer is no, just you.”

Clarke blushed and followed Lexa’s actions by picking up a menu as a way to hide some of the redness she could feel spreading on her cheeks. 

Just then a waitress approached their table and pulled a notepad out of her apron pocket and pen from behind her ear. “Good evenin’ ladies, what’ll it be tonight?” 

“I’ll just get a burger and fries and a…vanilla milkshake please,” Lexa said.  
The waitress wrote it down then looked to Clarke who was suddenly flustered. “I’ll uh…I’ll just have the same thing she’s having I guess.”

“So is that two milkshakes or just one with two straws?” She looked between the two girls sitting in the booth and smiled knowingly when they both sort of froze, not really sure how to answer her, but then Clarke took it as her chance to make a bit of cheesy move on Lexa. 

“One milkshake, two straws.”

Lexa raised her eyebrow then grinned. She definitely didn’t think Clarke would say that but she clearly meant it so she agreed. “One milkshake it is please.”

The waitress left and Lexa leaned back against her seat. She was still grinning at Clarke who was fiddling with the salt and pepper shakers.

“You’re staring at me, why?” she asked without looking Lexa in the eyes.

“You better not drink the whole milkshake.”

The words made Clarke laugh and Lexa didn’t think anything in the word could sound better than the blonde’s laughter. Well, she could think of some other sounds Clarke could make that would be better but those certainly weren’t appropriate in their current situation. 

Their food arrived and they both ate quickly, sharing the milkshake with their two straws. Lexa made a few more jokes about Clarke hogging the cup and Clarke always had some sort of witty flirtatious response. 

The back and forth banter happened so naturally and it was a strong reminder that for so long, they had both felt so closed off and alone despite being surrounded by people. Slowly but surely they were letting their guards down, letting each other in inch by inch. Their situations in life were so similar and they found solace in the connection they were building. 

The walk home from the diner was filled with more questions and quiet laughter. Clarke reached out for Lexa’s hand again and entwined their fingers, the brunette all too eager to accept the contact.

They walked right past the coffee shop, silently establishing that Lexa would walk Clarke back to her apartment. It was after all the polite thing to do, what kind of a date would she be if she didn’t?

“Well this is me,” Clarke said when she stopped in front an old brick apartment building with a set of stairs leading up to the door.

“I had a really great time with you tonight Clarke,” Lexa said, still holding her hand. Her eyes travelled down to Clarke’s lips then back up again and she stepped closer towards her, eliminating some of the space between them. 

They were so close to one another that Clarke could breath in Lexa’s sweet scent and she felt the air around her grow thick with tension. Her heart started to beat faster and it was clear what both she and Lexa wanted, but neither were quite brave enough to make the first move. 

“I had a really great time too Lexa. Maybe we can do it again?”

“I think that can be arranged,” Lexa said and curled her mouth up into a smile. She licked her lips and it was all Clarke needed. 

Any space between them vanished as she leaned in and closed her eyes. When her lips met Lexa’s, it was as if warmth spread throughout her whole body. The kiss was soft and slow and better than Clarke could have ever imagined. Lexa brought her hand up to cup her cheek and the rest of the world melted away. 

Finally their lips parted and Clarke blinked open her eyes. What she was met with were a pair of sparkling green ones looking at her with more fondness than she had ever known. She never noticed just how much a person could say with simply their eyes until that moment. 

Lexa smiled bashfully and Clarke couldn't stop looking at her like a lovesick fool. The kiss had been everything, a perfect moment of letting all their problems and all their worries just disappear. 

“Goodnight Clarke.”

For the second time in two days, they were saying goodnight and goodbye to each other but it was only the beginning of something more, something good. And they both needed a little good in their lives.

“Goodnight Lexa.”

And what a good night it had been.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for taking a while to get this chapter up, life gets busy. I hope you enjoy it though, and thanks for reading!

You can plan and prepare and do a million things to keep your life on one path, to keep your life moving in one direction. But what if you meet someone that suddenly changes the course you may have set out for yourself, how do you know if they’re worth changing for? The answer is simple; you just do.

 Clarke was leaning against her apartment door after just saying goodbye to Lexa, or rather kissing Lexa goodbye. She brought her fingers to her lips and she could still feel the sensation of the other girl’s lips against her own. Her phone vibrated in her pocket and she pulled it out to find a message on her screen from the same person that was occupying her thoughts.

  _ **Thank you for letting me take you out tonight Clarke, I had an incredible time.**_

 There was a flutter in Clarke’s chest again and she couldn't the help the smile that crept up on her face. Lexa had given her one of the best nights she had in a long time. A night without the stress of school, a night without thoughts of her past and what she left behind when she moved, a night full of promise and potential and of hope for something bright in her future. Someone bright.

 Clarke typed out a reply and put her phone back in her pocket. She sighed and bit her lip then pulled herself away from her door to go get ready for bed even though she knew sleeping wouldn’t be easy when all she could think about were Lexa’s lips.

  _ **I had an incredible time too…can we do it again soon?**_

 Almost immediately Clarke got another message. She smiled bashfully and was glad that no one was around to see her look so love struck.

  _ **Want to come by the coffee shop tomorrow afternoon? We’re holding an open mic night and if you’re interested, I’d love the company.**_

Clarke sat down on her bed and suddenly felt like a teenager again, crushing on someone for the first time and not knowing what do with all of her feelings. Of course she was interested in spending more time with Lexa, she didn’t even have to think about her answer.

  ** _That sounds great. I will definitely be there._**

**** _**Perfect, I'll see you tomorrow then. Sweet dreams Clarke.** _

_**Goodnight Lexa.** _

 The next morning Clarke rolled over in her bed and instinctively reached out to the space beside her, much to her disappointment she found no one. She had been dreaming about Lexa and half expected the brunette to be curled up beside her when she woke. But it was only a dream after all. She grabbed a pillow and hugged it close to her chest; she was getting tired of sleeping alone. Some nights she couldn’t fall asleep because her mind was always moving a mile a minute, she had always wished for someone to come along to fill the emptiness in her life. She had someone who helped for a while but then it faded away, even if it was for the best it was still hard. She was alone again and though she had certainly adjusted to being on her own, the idea of waking up beside someone that mattered always lingered. Her phone went off and she blindly reached her arm out to her bedside table to grab it and without looking at the screen she unlocked it and brought it up to her face.

  _ **Good morning Clarke. I wish it were already this afternoon so I could see you again.**_

 Clarke threw her hand over her face and grinned like an idiot. How was she this lucky, how was she of all people blessed enough to find Lexa the way she did.

 While Clarke was lying in her bed all bashful and smiling, Lexa was in hers holding her phone to her chest worrying if sending that message was too foreword. All she could think about when she fell asleep was Clarke, and Clarke was the first thing on her mind when she had woken up.

 The last thing she ever wanted to do was move too fast and scare Clarke away, she wanted things to go slow and be perfect but her heart was getting the better of her. Their kiss was playing on an almost permanent loop in her head and kissing Clarke again was something she desperately wanted to do.

 Inviting her to come to the open mic night seemed like a casual way to see her again, and Clarke agreeing to come right away was a good sign. Though Lexa would be working, knowing Clarke would be there gave her butterflies in her stomach. Yes, butterflies. Lexa flipped over onto her stomach and buried her face in her pillow.

 She was already in too deep but there wasn’t a single part of her that wanted out. Clarke was everything she never knew she wanted, everything she wasn’t even looking for but there she was with her golden hair and her sparkling eyes and that smile…

 Her phone vibrated and she nervously picked it up but nerves vanished when she read the message on her screen.

  _ **I wish it were already this afternoon too. Is it crazy to say that I can’t wait to see you even though I saw you last night…?**_

_**It’s not crazy at all because I feel the exact same way Clarke.** _

Lexa’s cheeks would start to hurt if she were to smile any harder. She pulled herself out of bed knowing it was going to be another good day, she was starting to believe no day could be bad with Clarke Griffin around.

  ** _I’m really glad to hear that, I’ll see you soon Lexa_.**

Clarke was back to sitting at her kitchen table working on a paper for one of her classes, wishing she could just take a break from school and not have to worry about it but it was too important to her to do that. It was what she wanted, what she had always wanted, but she was starting to feel a shift in her life. One month into her program surely wasn’t enough to change how she felt completely, but it was enough to make her question her decisions about school and what she really wanted to do. For now she had to take it day by day and with Lexa in her life…she had something else…someone else to think about.

 She closed her textbook and pushed it away from her. Her mind couldn’t focus on medicine. Her paper was finished but it was rushed, lackluster, and definitely not her best work but at least it was finished and if she decided she wanted it to be better she’d stay up all night and redo it, but for now all she wanted was to be with Lexa. She needed the calm comfort she felt when she was with her and the easy conversation full of stolen glances.

 When Clarke arrived at the coffee shop later that afternoon it was full of people, more people than she had ever seen there. People were setting up sound equipment and others were tuning their instruments. She didn’t realize one open mic could draw such a crowd; especially considering it hadn’t even begun yet. Lexa was behind the counter with Anya, both seeming very busy with making people drinks and taking orders.

 She wished she could pull Lexa away and steal a private moment with her but that wouldn’t happen when there was so much going on, and considering they had only kissed once, she figured greeting Lexa with a kiss might be too upfront.

 Music started to come through the speakers that had just been set up and someone was strumming a few chords on their guitar. Clarke found an empty chair off to the side and watched as fellow musicians and friends chatted with one another. She felt out of place surrounded by so many strangers but eventually music became the only thing in the room and she settled into the artistic environment.

 There were no introductions and someone just got up, plugged in their guitar and started to play. It was clear that the majority of people in the coffee shop were the kind that appreciated music because conversations died down and everyone’s focus turned to the person singing.

 Lexa hadn't noticed when Clarke arrived and but eventually spotted her sitting in the corner, totally enthralled with the performer currently strumming their guitar. She was swaying her head a little to the music and when she smiled Lexa’s heart swelled. A few songs later there was a break in performers and surprisingly no one waiting for a drink at the counter so Lexa saw it as her chance to approach Clarke and try to sneak her away for a minute.

 “Hey you,” she said as she snuck up behind where Clarke was sitting.

 Clarke looked up and met Lexa’s gaze. Their eyes locked instantly and she felt that same pull she always felt when she was near Lexa.

 “Hi,” Clarke said. “How are you?”

 “I'm better now, want to come with me for a second?”

 Clarke nodded and stood. Lexa took her hand and led her behind the counter and into the back office of the coffee shop. She closed the door and it drowned out the sound of anything happening outside.

 “I'm lucky enough to get to see the private underbelly of Grounders Coffee huh? I must be special.”

 Lexa didn't respond and instead slowly backed Clarke up against the door. “You Clarke Griffin are incredibly special.”

 Clarke’s breath hitched in her throat. Lexa was irresistibly close to her and her sweet scent was intoxicating. Her eyes scanned Lexa’s face for uncertainty and found none.

 “So what makes me so special?” Clarke asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

 Lexa took another step closer, eliminating almost all the space between them in the process. She looked Clarke in the eyes and then her gaze dropped down to her lips, lips she hadn’t been able to stop thinking about since she had gotten to kiss them the night before.

 “Everything.”

 Her plan wasn't to sneak Clarke away from everyone just to back her against a wall and kiss her, but it’s inevitably what ended up happening. She just couldn’t help herself.

 Clarke shuddered and Lexa moved in impossibly closer, her lips meeting the blonde’s in a kiss so very different from their first. Hands moved behind necks then to tangle in hair then to grip hips. It was passionate and desperate in the best way possible.

 When Clarke parted her lips giving Lexa silent access to deepen the kiss, Lexa greedily accepted the offer. She smiled into Clarke’s lips and felt the blonde’s moan throughout her whole body.

 When the need for a breather finally arrived, both girls were dazed and feeling everything. Lexa softly slid her nose against Clarke’s and kissed her again, slower than before. She leaned back and brushed some of the messy stray blonde hair that had fallen out from behind Clarke’s ear out of her face and when blue eyes blinked open meeting hers, she had to take a deep breath to really take in what had just happened.

 “Wow…that was…” Clarke said, literally at a loss for words.

 “Not what I planned on doing,” Lexa said, finishing her sentence for her.

 “But I am so glad it happened.”

 “Talk about a good second date.”

 Clarke smiled. “Second date huh? I wish all my second dates were this good.”

 Lexa leaned back in to kiss Clarke again. She gently bit her lip, earning her another quiet moan. “All of our dates can be this good,” she whispered.

 “You’ve definitely got a good track record,” Clarke replied and kissed her again.

 Music started to play again from out in the shop and they both laughed realizing that was probably their signal to get back.

 “I guess we should get back out there.”

 “Or…” Clarke said and brought her lips down to Lexa’s neck, leaving a trail of kisses from her pulse point up to her ear, “we could just stay in here and keep doing this.”

 “Mmhmm I would…love too…but…”

 A hard knock on the door brought Clarke and Lexa out of their private little world. They both froze and Clarke’s lips were still hovering over Lexa’s neck.

 “Lexa! Can you please get back out here and help me, you can make out with your girlfriend later!”

 They had only been on one date but each of them had thrown the word girlfriend around in their head. It definitely hadn’t been said out loud yet in fear of moving too quickly and scaring the other off, but considering their current situation it was safe to say they wouldn’t be dating anyone else.

 “Anya…” Lexa laughed a little bit at her coworkers’ way of getting her attention. “I guess she really needs me out there.”

 Clarke straightened her body and leaned back against the door again. “Can I ask you something?”

 Lexa reached out for her hand and ran her thumb over her soft skin. “Of course, anything.”

 “What is this? What are we…I mean after what just happened...?”

“I don’t want to date anyone else Clarke. I don’t want to do-” Lexa motioned between them, “this with anyone else. Just you.”

 Clarke ducked her head shyly and Lexa put a finger under her chin to lightly raise her head back up so their eyes could meet. “Is that what you want too?”

 “It’s all I want,” Clarke replied quietly, suddenly nervous about her feelings even though she and Lexa had just been all over each other. Knowing that Lexa felt the same way she did was reassuring but opening up about how she really felt was scary. “I don’t want to date anyone else either, I only want this…I only want you.”

 Lexa leaned in close again and kissed Clarke sweetly, making all of her nerves disappear. Nothing had ever quite felt like that did, nothing had ever felt so right.

 “I am very glad to hear that,” Lexa said when she pulled away. “Now if we don’t get back out there Anya will literally kill me. You don’t mind hanging out by yourself while I work?”

 “Not at all, besides I like listening to the music.”

 Another hard knock on the door made Lexa sigh and she reluctantly took a step back from Clarke, already missing the warmth of another body being pressed against her own.

 Clarke moved away from the door so Lexa could open it and go back to work. They walked out together and she kissed Lexa’s cheek before making her way back to where she was sitting before she had been pulled away. They hadn’t been gone that long but it was like time stopped when they were kissing. Clarke’s heart was still hammering away in her chest and she didn’t think she would ever be able to think of anything other than Lexa’s mouth and hands on her body.

 Somehow the music people were performing became a big enough distraction that she didn’t constantly look over her shoulder at Lexa while she worked. Watching everyone perform stirred something in Clarke and it made her want to go pick her guitar, the one she hadn’t played in ages that was collecting dust in it’s case in a corner of her apartment.

 Knowing how to play was something she hadn’t told anyone before, but she had practically forced her dad to teach her as a kid because he was always playing his. She learned how and eventually wrote a few songs here and there, nothing she’d ever dare show to anyone but watching people stand up and perform their songs so courageously made her want to try it someday. She’d never even sung in front of anyone, let alone performed anything she had written.

 Eventually Lexa came to join her at her table, setting down a cup of coffee as she did.

 “I thought you might like this,” she said.

 Clarke smiled and lifted the cup to her lips. “Thank you,” she replied and took a sip, enjoying the coffee’s warmth as she drank it.

 The day was winding down and it was nearing the end of the night. It was safe to say open mic night at Grounders Coffee was a success. A few people had already cleared out and nobody was really performing anymore, only a few people sitting around and talking about music while strumming some guitars. It was a comfortable atmosphere and for the first time in a while Clarke felt like she belonged somewhere, even if she had only been an observer.

 “Well that’s it for me, I’m heading out.” Anya gathered her things and headed for the door. “You sure you don’t need any more help?”

 Lexa looked over her shoulder at Clarke who was rearranging some boxes of tea on the counter and bit her lip. “I think I’ve got it covered.”

 Anya smirked. “Oh I’m sure you do, how’s that going by the way?”

 “Really well, she’s…she’s pretty amazing.”

 “It’s really nice seeing you happy like this Lex.”

 “Thanks Anya, and thanks for being such a good help today.”

 “No worries boss man, it’s why you pay me the big bucks right?”

 Lexa laughed and walked Anya to the door. “See you tomorrow, yeah?”

 “You sure will, you two have a good night.”

 Once Anya was outside Lexa locked the door and turned back to find that Clarke had moved on from the tea to another job.

 “Did you have fun today?” she asked.

 It was just the two of them alone again in the coffee shop and Clarke was helping to tidy up and place furniture back to where it was before things had been moved to set up sound equipment.

 “I did,” Clarke said as she pushed a table back into it’s proper place, “I had a lot of fun, it was nice just getting to relax and listen to some music. I don’t have a lot of time for that sort of thing anymore.”

 “School keeps you pretty busy huh?”

 Clarke fell back onto the couch by the bookshelves and sighed as she closed her eyes. “Busier than I ever thought it would.”

 “I haven't been pulling you away from work these past couple of days have I?”

 Lexa sat down beside Clarke, close enough so their shoulders were flush against each other. She reached for Clarke’s hand and laced their fingers together.

 “No you haven’t,” Clarke said and turned to face Lexa, “besides I needed a breather and I’d much rather be with you.”

 “You’d tell me though right, if I was making it hard for you to do work? Because I know that’s important…you’re going to be a doctor and I don’t want to jeop-“

 Clarke leaning in and kissing her softly interrupted Lexa. She lifted her hand to tangle in blonde locks without even thinking and quietly hummed in response to the other woman’s lips pressed to hers. The feeling of Clarke’s tough made Lexa’s head spin

 When Clarke pulled away her eyes were still closed and it took a kiss on the cheek for her to open them.

 “I can do both Lexa, I can be with you and focus on school. Right now you…you are something I need in my life. You are fresh air in my lungs when it’s like I haven’t been able to breathe for weeks and I know that maybe this is all happening too fast but…”

 “Do you want it to slow down?” Lexa asked, not sure if she’d like the answer. She knew it had all happened fast, from meeting to going on a date and then jumping Clarke’s bones in the office. “I’m sorry if me kissing you earlier today was too much too quickly.”

 “Don’t apologize for that, believe me when I say I wanted to kiss you just as badly.”

 “You did?”

 Clarke’s cheeks turned pink and she suddenly felt bashful for admitting it. “Yeah I really did.”

 “You know you’re cute when your embarrassed right?” Lexa said, definitely not helping Clarke’s situation.

 “Stop,” Clarke said as she looked away in an attempt to hide her sheepish grin.

 Lexa nudged Clarke’s shoulder and leaned her head back against the couch. She studied the way Clarke brushed a few stray strands of loose blonde hair behind her ear and licked her lips. She was close enough to notice a few scattered freckles that painted the otherwise porcelain looking peach skin.

 Clarke could feel Lexa’s eyes on her and had licked her lips on purpose, knowing it would probably stir something in Lexa, which it did.

 “Has anyone ever told you how beautiful you are?” Lexa asked.

 It was a question that took Clarke off guard and when she finally met Lexa’s eyes again, there was more sincerity and honesty in them than she had ever seen before. She was learning just how much Lexa could say with only her eyes.

 “No…at least not anyone important.”

 Lexa brought her hand up to Clarke’s face and cupped her cheek softly. “Well anyone who has ever made you think otherwise is a fool.”

 The atmosphere between them shifted from light and playful to something with more intensity and emotion. Clarke had to swallow the lump in throat and try to control the beating of her heart in her chest, because Lexa was looking at her like she had never said anything more true in her entire life.

 Clarke glanced down at Lexa’s lips and all she could do was eliminate any space between them and kiss her. It was slow and soft, not like the feverous kisses they shared in the office earlier that day. Their lips melded together perfectly, like two pieces of a puzzle that finally found where they fit.

 When Clarke ran her tongue across Lexa’s bottom lip, the brunette seemed to fall into her touch even more and gave up any control that she may have had. Their roles from their earlier encounter had switched and now it was Clarke who was in control. Eventually the need for air drew them apart and if t=she wasn’t sitting down; Lexa knew her knees would be buckling.

 “At least we know we can definitely do that right,” Clarke said.

Lexa laughed as hazy feeling of content washed over her, the result of Clarke’s kiss. And it was true that they did it well, so well that each of them would be totally fine with spending a few more hours sitting on the couch doing nothing else.

 “I can totally get used to that,” Lexa said.

 “Well get used to it then because I’m not going anywhere. You’ve got me all to yourself.”

 Lexa had already been smiling but hearing those words made her smile even more. It was hard to not smile when she was with Clarke, and it was becoming damn near impossible to think about anything or anyone else.

 “I like the sound of that.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys, I'm sorry it's been a while since I last updated but it's been tough for me to really write anything lately without feeling pretty bummed. I finally wrote this chapter and it's pretty much nothing but fluff and happiness so please enjoy.

Three weeks had passed since Clarke Griffin had officially taken herself off the market. Those three weeks had been full of long sleepless nights and more coffee than Clarke had ever had in her life and much to her disapproval, the coffee didn’t come from Lexa’s coffee shop and she wasn’t the reason why Clarke wasn’t getting much sleep. She’d be lucky if she got to see her for more than a few hours at a time. She knew studying medicine would be demanding but now she was really starting to question if it’s what she truly wanted, if it was worth working herself too hard.

The campus library had become her best friend and she didn’t even realize how much of her time was really spent there and in some of the medical labs. The only time she spent in her apartment was to shower, try to get any sleep she could, and change into clean clothes. Her fridge was empty, her sink was full of dirty dishes from day’s prior and her bed was never made. She took solace in any time she got with Lexa and it was basically all that was keeping her sane. One thing that was driving her foreword was the knowledge of a week break coming up in her class schedule. It was the middle of the semester and the week was meant to give students a chance to catch up and prepare themselves for the second half of the semester where they’d be diving into different aspects of the course. 

Somehow Clarke managed to finish all of her work, she had handed in three essays, written two tests and completed a research project all on time. She had never worked herself so hard before and a whole week off was her reward. A whole week with Lexa.

It was Friday afternoon and Clarke walked out of her last class before the break with a smile on her face. Even though she should have been, she wasn’t really paying attention to much of what her professor was saying. All she could think about was the green eyes brunette she’d be getting to kiss in just a few short hours. Clarke rushed home to her apartment to make it look livable. It was the first night Lexa would be seeing where she lived. She had only been to Lexa’s apartment a few times and not for long, always needing to duck away because of early morning classes. But tonight Lexa was coming over and Clarke was ordering them food.

After making her bed and cleaning her bathroom, Clarke quickly washed all of dishes and threw on a clean outfit that she decided was presentable considering she didn’t have much time to do her laundry. There was a knock on the door and the food had arrived fifteen minutes earlier meaning Lexa was waiting in the hallway.

Clarke took a deep steady breath, trying to calm her nerves because no matter how much time she spent with her, Lexa still made her nervous. She opened the door and was met with a bright wide smile.

“Hi Clarke.”

Clarke returned the smile and immediately lost herself in the beauty of Lexa’s eyes. “Hi Lexa,” she said.

“Are we just going to stand here or can I come in? I was promised food…”

“Right! Sorry, please come in.”

Clarke moved to the side allowing Lexa to walk in. Lexa glanced around the sparse living area and noticed just how bare the apartment seemed. Clarke shut the door and stood awkwardly behind Lexa as she took in the room. She knew her apartment wasn’t much, nut it’s what she got for not wanting to share somewhere nicer with a roommate. Even though her mother being a doctor meant her family wasn’t exactly on the low-income side of things, Clarke paid for her apartment entirely on her own with money she earned from working two jobs leading up to the school year.

Lexa turned around and noticed how unsure Clarke seemed as she stood near the door to the apartment.

“It’s not really what I expected,” Lexa said.

“Yeah…it’s not much but it’s home I guess,” Clarke replied, looking anywhere but at Lexa.

“Hey, if it’s home to you then it’s special to me.”

Clarke smiled and Lexa moved towards her, sliding her hands around her waist and pulling her close. “I’ve missed you,” she said as Clarke looked up to meet her gaze.

“I’ve missed you too. I’m sorry my life has been so hectic this past little while.”

“Don’t apologize for that Clarke, you’re going to become a doctor. I’m so proud of you for what you’re doing.”

Clarke slid her arms up around Lexa’s neck and eliminated any distance between them. She buried her nose in the crook of the taller girl’s neck and breathed her in. Everything about Lexa had become her stillness, her calm. Even though her heart was always fluttering like crazy when they were together, Lexa always seemed to make all of her stress melt away.

“I’m glad you’re here,” Clarke said against Lexa’s skin.

Lexa smiled, relaxing into the hug. “You know there’s nowhere else I’d rather be Clarke.”

The growling of Lexa’s stomach interrupted their moment and Clarke pulled back to look at her with a smirk. “Sounds like someone is hungry.”

“Well the only reason I came here was for dinner…”

“Hey!” Clarke said as she softly poked Lexa in the ribs. Her poking turned to tickling, knowing Lexa was totally helpless when it came to that, and it forced her to back up against the door to the apartment.

“Clarke stop!” Lexa was laughing as Clarke’s fingers found their way to all of her sensitive areas.

When Clarke finally stopped her tickling, she placed her hands on Lexa’s hips and slowly slid her fingers up underneath the bottom hem of her shirt so she could feel the soft skin just above the waist of her jeans.

"I’m sorry for tickling you,” Clarke said as she ran her fingers up and down Lexa’s skin.

"No you're not.”

“You're right, I’m not, because look where you ended up.”

"Oh I see,” Lexa said as she licked her lips, “this was your plan all along wasn’t it? Bring me here and tempt me with food, when you really just wanted to do this huh?”

They both smiled again and Clarke leaned in as close to Lexa as she could, their lips only a breath apart. “Damn, you figured out my plan. I guess I wasn’t as clever as I thought…” Clarke whispered and pressed her lips against the brunette’s.

 Not being able to spend much time with Lexa leading up to this moment meant it didn’t take long for Clarke to completely lose herself in the other girl’s kiss. Both of them fell into the other with total abandon and before they knew it, they had to separate to catch their breath.

“I think our food is probably cold now,” Clarke said. She brushed some hair out of Lexa’s face and brought her hand up to run her thumb across her bottom lip.

“I don't care,” Lexa said. “You probably taste better anyways.”

They kissed again and didn’t stop until Lexa slid her thigh in between Clarkes and started to scrape her fingernails up her back under her shirt. Clarke’s bit her lip in response and had to reluctantly pull away from everything Lexa was doing to her.

“Lexa…” Clarke breathed in between more kisses.

“Do you want me to stop Clarke?”

“I just…wait…”

Lexa pulled her hands out from under Clarke’s shirt and straightened her posture. “What is it? Did I do something wrong? I’m sorry Clarke. I didn’t mean to-“

“Hey, no no,” Clarke said cutting Lexa odd mid sentence, “it’s not you. It’s me. It’s sort of…well it’s been a while since I…”

Clarke looked down shyly, not able to meet Lexa’s concerned gaze.

“Clarke,” Lexa said as she put a finger under Clarke’s chin to tilt her head up so she could look at her properly, “we don’t have to do anything anytime soon. I didn’t mean to push you, I don’t want you to feel rushed into anything.”

“You didn’t push me, I just want it to be perfect with you Lexa.”

“Everything with you is pretty perfect Clarke, and it’ll happen when it happens okay? I’m perfectly content with just being here with you like this. Now, how about we finally eat some of that food I was promise?”

Clarke smiled and leaned into Lexa again to kiss her sweetly. She reached for her hand and linked their fingers together and pulled her away from the door to the kitchen table where their food was waiting. It had definitely grown cold so Clarke put it in the oven to warm up and as she reached up into her cupboards to get down plates and cups for them, she felt hands slide around her waist as Lexa hugged her from behind.

“I’ve never fit with anyone the way I fit with you,” Lexa said quietly and pressed her lips to Clarkes shoulder blade.

“I didn’t think I could fit with anyone the way that we fit together,” Clarke replied as she sighed back into the embrace. She had forgotten how nice it felt to be held until Lexa. Nothing felt as right as being in her arms.

“I think that makes us pretty lucky then doesn't it?”

“The luckiest.”

Lexa breathed in Clarke’s sweet scent before removing her arms so she could set the table and get their food ready. They settled into an easy comfortable conversation as they ate, Clarke going on about one of her papers and Lexa about how busy the coffee shop had been. Everything flowed so simply between them, and both girls we’re completely at ease with one another. They finished eating and washed the dishes together, laughing as Clarke kept trying to blow soap bubbles at Lexa’s face. “Clarke you are a grown woman, stop making a mess!”

“Oh come on, it’s fun and you know it.”

“How would you like it if I did it to you?”

 Lexa scooped up a handful of soapy bubbles and blew them at Clarke. Her aim was better than the blondes, whose chin was now covered with bubbles. Lexa couldn’t stop herself from laughing and she reached foreword to wipe them away. “You’re right, that was fun.”

 Clarke raised her hands in surrender and smirked. “Go sit your butt down on that couch or else I’ll splash more than just the bubbles at you.”

“Fine, but you started it,” Lexa said with a pout. She dried her hands on a dishtowel and went to sit down on the couch. Clarke joined her a minute later and they put on a movie.

They started off sitting beside each other with their shoulders touching but eventually Lexa slid down so her legs were curled up on the couch and her head was resting in Clarke’s lap. Clarke started to weave her fingers through her soft wavy hair and every so often she’d hear a quiet satisfactory moan come from Lexa.

Lexa was so quiet that at once point Clarke though she had fallen asleep until she heard her laugh at something that happened in the movie they were watching. By the time the movie ended, Clarke could barely keep her eyes open though she never once stopped playing with Lexa’s hair. She found it comforting and it seemed to make Lexa happy which made her happy. The end credits started to play and Lexa sat up, taking in Clarke’s sleepy look.

“You’re exhausted Clarke, I should get going so you can get some rest,” Lexa said.

“Would you stay?” Clarke asked nervously. They hadn’t spent a night together yet in the time they had been dating. “I mean…if you want to?”

“I would love to stay Clarke, I don’t really have any pajamas though.”

“I’m sure I’ve got something you can wear, come on.”

Clarke stood from the couch and turned off the TV and the light and reached for Lexa’s hand so she could lead her to the bedroom. She started to rummage through her drawers and Lexa sat down on the edge of the bed and looked around. The bedroom was definitely the most lived in area in the house and it’s in that room that she noticed some of Clarke’s personal touches. There was a painting on the wall of a vast green landscape with the sun setting and a framed photo of a man that Lexa asssumed to be Clarke’s father on the bedside table.

"Here, these might be a bit big on you but you’ll be comfortable and there’s a spare toothbrush in the bathroom you can use,” Clarke said as she handed Lexa a t-shirt and a pair of sleep shorts.

Lexa took the clothes and even though she could have gone into the bathroom to change, Clarke simply turned around so Lexa could change in the bedroom. It was killing her to know that behind her Lexa was be stripping of her own clothes and putting on hers and she couldn't see any of it happening, but she wanted to be respectful.

When Lexa finished changing she turned around to find Clarke still facing away from her. “Clarke, you don’t have to hide your eyes, you’re my girlfriend."

The word was out of Lexa's mouth without a second though and she hadn't even realized that she said it until Clarke turned around to look at her with a wide smile on her face. 

"Girlfriend?"

"Oh uh...I didn't mean to say that because I know we haven't really talked about it...it just sort of slipped out."

"Girlfriend. I like the way that sounds."

"Yeah? Because like I said earlier Clarke, I don't want you to feel like I rushed you into anything."

Clarke stepped towards her and nodded. "I'll be your girlfriend Lexa, but only if you'll be mine?"

This time it was Lexa who smiled widely. She didn't know what it was about Clarke Griffin that made her feel like she was a lovestruck teenager again but nothing sounded better to her than being her girlfriend. "Of course I'll be your girlfriend, like you even need to ask me that.”

Clarke pulled Lexa into her by the waist and kissed her. Lexa opened her mouth slightly, allowing her to deepen the kiss and Clarke greedily accepted. She moaned into Lexa's lips and they stood like that for a few minutes, pouring themselves into one another, until they needed a moment to breathe. When Clarke leaned back slightly she watched as Lexa blinked open her green eyes slowly, the sight was enough to make her heart swell in her chest. Nothing was more beautiful than the brunette standing before her.

When the time came for Clarke to change Lexa gave her the same privacy she was given and though she tried not to, she snuck a peak over her shoulder. Clarke’s back was to her and she couldn't tear her eyes away as Clarke slid her shirt up over her head, exposing her back. Lexa gulped as she took in the smooth expanse of the blonde’s skin and as Clarke reached behind to unclip her bra, she averted her gaze and didn’t look again.

They stood side-by-side brushing their teeth in the bathroom, smiling at one another and bumping their shoulders together. Clarke got into the bed first, pulling aside the covers so Lexa could slide underneath beside her. They both settled into the mattress and Clarke reached over to her bedside table and turned off the light, making the room go dark.

“Come here,” Lexa said.

Clarke scooted closer to her and slid an arm across her waist and rested her head in the crook of Lexa’s neck. She took a deep breath and Lexa smiled when she felt the warm breath hit her skin. She started to run her fingers up and down Clarke’s arm and when the blonde sighed contently, Lexa hugged her even closer.

“Is the man in the photo on your bedside table your dad?” Lexa asked, interrupting the stillness in the room.

“Mmhmm?” Clarke mumbled.

“Sorry, I don't mean to pry, it’s just that you look like him.”

“Yeah, that’s my dad and it’s okay. I don’t mind talking about him. You know he would have really liked you Lexa.”

“Really? He would?”

Clarke smiled and kissed the skin just above Lexa’s right collarbone. “Absolutely. We Griffin’s have excellent taste in people.”

“I wish I was able to meet him one day.”

“Me too, I wish that every day but it’s okay. I like to believe he’s up there somewhere, wherever or whatever that somewhere might be, and that he’s happy with how my life is turning out.”

“And how is your life turning out Clarke?” Lexa asked as she kissed the top of Clarke’s head.

“A lot better since you came into it.”

Eventually the sound of steady breathing was all Lexa could hear and she knew Clarke had fallen asleep. Her fingers never stopped running up and down the expanse of Clarke’s arm until she started to feel her eyes droop and she reveled in the quiet comfort of having the other girl in her arms. She hadn't felt so at peace in a very long time and she drifted off to sleep with thoughts of the person currently tangled up in her swirling around her head..

"Goodnight Clarke," Lexa whispered.

 


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! Big thanks to everyone who has been reading, I really appreciate all the kudos! This is my favourite chapter so far and I hope you like reading it as much as I liked writing it. It's another fluffy chapter for our two gals. As always, please let me know what you think. Enjoy!

Sun started to filter into the room through the curtains covering the small window in Clarke’s bedroom. The first thing she noticed wasn’t that it was somehow already morning, but rather how she felt immeasurably warmer and more comfortable than she usually did when she woke up. She realized the reason for that was because her front was curled against Lexa’s back, that she was spooning her from behind. 

Lexa was radiating warmth and the quiet sound of her inhale and exhale was the only thing that could be heard. Messy brown locks spilled across the pillow beside Clarke’s and she breathed in the scent of the girl in her arms, letting it fill her lungs. 

Clarke’s arm around Lexa’s waist tightened slightly, bringing them even closer together. Their legs were tangled under the sheets and she lifted her head a little so she could look at Lexa’s serene face, totally calm and content in her slumber. Clarke leaned down and pressed a kiss to her cheek, causing Lexa to stir. 

“I’m sorry,” Clarke whispered in her ear, “I didn’t mean to wake you.”

“Mmhmm s’okay, good morning,” Lexa mumbled. She sighed deeply then turned over in Clarke’s arms so they were facing each other.

“Hi,” Clarke said.

Lexa took in Clarke’s early morning appearance. Her blonde hair was wavier and curlier than she had ever seen it and in the early morning light it seemed to shine.

“Hi to you too,” Lexa said, her lips curling up into a wide smile. 

“Has anyone ever told you how beautiful you look in the morning?”

Lexa couldn’t hide the blush that rose to her cheeks upon hearing those words. She moved in even closer to Clarke so they were sharing one pillow.

“No, but no one before now has ever really mattered all that much,” she said.

“Well I’m proud to be the first then,” Clarke said. She reached out to brush some stray hair out of Lexa’s face behind her ears then softly ran her thumb across her cheek.

They studied one other for a moment, taking in all the small details on each other’s face. Clarke noticed the small freckle hiding just at the top of Lexa’s lip and Lexa took in the way Clarke’s blue eyes seemed to sparkle like some sort of magic lived in them. Though they were both clothed and not even kissing, it was one of the most intimate moments they had shared so far. No words were needed. Just a quiet and comfortable curious exploration of one another. 

“I sometimes have to stop myself in my tracks and ask if this is all real,” Clarke admitted.

Lexa raised an eyebrow as she brought her hand to Clarke’s exposed collarbones and started tracing patterns across them. “If what’s all real?” she asked.

“You, this…us. I know it might be cliché to say it but I really do believe I somehow stumbled into a different world, a different life, one where you exist. One where I deserve to have you.”

“Clarke,” Lexa said, adding extra emphasis on the k like always. Something about the way Lexa pronounced her name always made Clarke’s head spin slightly, never had her name sounded so good than when Lexa used it. 

“You deserve to have me in every lifetime,” Lexa added, “I know it’s hard to allow yourself to be happy sometimes and I struggle with that too, but I’ve started to realize that maybe things are easier than we make them out to be.”

Clarke’s gaze flicked from Lexa’s eyes to her lips and she leaned in so she could kiss her. The hand that Lexa was using to trace lazy patterns across Clarke’s collarbone moved up to tangle in her hair. 

The ringing of a cell phone interrupted their kiss and Lexa sighed, pressing her forehead to Clarke’s. “It’s mine.”

“Can’t you just ignore it? Stay in this bed forever?” Clarke asked and pouted. 

The way Clarke’s lips pursed up in such an adorable way made it extremely hard for Lexa to turn down her offer but she knew it would be Anya on the phone so she couldn’t ignore it despite how much she wanted to. 

“Stay here,” Lexa said. She kissed Clarke’s forehead and slid out of the bed then disappeared into the living room to get her phone from her bag. 

Clarke could vaguely hear her speaking in the other room as she buried herself deeper into the bed and under the covers. Her sheets smelt like Lexa now and it made her feel things she hadn’t felt in a long time. Love? No…it couldn’t be love yet…could it? She pushed aside that thought and closed her eyes. 

Lexa came back into the room and joined her in the bed again. “I have to go in this afternoon,” she said.

“You do?” Clarke asked. “I could come with you if you want, I have all this time off with not much to do so I could help out at the shop if you want?” 

“Really? You want to spend part of your break making coffee for people?” 

“Why not? It sounds like fun, plus I’d be with you, which is just an added bonus.”

“Okay, I’d love to have your help then!”

Lexa’s words came out more enthusiastically than she planned but the idea of getting to be around Clarke in her own environment was exciting. And the shop could use an extra set of hands, aside from her and Anya, there were only two other part time employees. 

“When do we have to leave?” Clarke asked.

“We’ve still got some time,” Lexa answered, shifting closer to Clarke. “I’d ask if you wanted me to make you breakfast but I have a slight suspicion that you Clarke, don’t have much in your fridge.”

“Excuse me…” Clarke playfully poked at Lexa’s ribs like she had the night before, “it would be me making you breakfast because you stayed at my place and what kind of girlfriend would I be if I wasn’t the one to make the food?”

The word girlfriend made Lexa’s heart swell. They had made it official and now she wanted to hear Clarke say it a million times. “My girlfriend is incredible.”

“And you think your incredible girlfriend can’t cook, don’t you?”

Lexa bit her lip innocently and smiled like a child would when they were trying to hide something. 

Clarke pushed her onto her back and threw one leg over her waist so she was straddling her. The move took Lexa by surprise and she stared up at Clarke with wide eyes.

“I can cook Lexa!” Clarke slid her hands up under the bottom of Lexa’s shirt and lightly gripped her sides.

Lexa shivered at the contact of Clarke’s hands on her skin and tried to wiggle her way out of the hold. “Your hands are freezing Clarke!”

“What are you going to do about it then?” 

Accepting Clarke’s words as a challenge, she instantly sat up and pushed Clarke back down against the bed, flipping their positions so quickly the blonde couldn’t do anything about it.

“I’m stronger than I look Clarke,” she said with a smirk.

A rush of arousal flowed through Clarke and she did her best to hide her reaction even though she could feel that her cheeks were now flushed pink. Sure, she had felt that way about Lexa many times before but that was mostly when she was alone with her thoughts; it was different when the reason for those thoughts was straddling her waist. 

Clarke swallowed to help clear the lump in her throat. “Y-yeah…you definitely are,” she managed to say.

“I guess I win then,” Lexa replied with a proud grin before leaning down to capture Clarke’s lips in a searing kiss. She sucked on Clarke’s bottom lip, which earned her a quiet whimper, and she smiled into the kiss when Clarke slid her hands up behind her neck, pulling her down even closer. 

When they finally separated, Clarke took a few extra seconds before opening her eyes. When she did, the sight of Lexa above her was extraordinary. The morning had come in quickly and sunlight washed over everything in the room, illuminating Lexa in the most exquisite way. 

Clarke spotted a stray eyelash resting on Lexa’s cheek so she wiped it with her thumb and brought it to Lexa’s lips. “Blow on this and make a wish,” she said.

Lexa furrowed her eyebrows, she hadn’t heard of that custom before. “What does an eyelash have to do with making a wish?”

“Shh, just blow.”

So she did. Lexa shut her eyes and tried to think of something she wanted to wish for, but everything she wanted was already lying on the bed beneath her. Clarke made her feel a million different things, all of them incredible. Love. It was a word that had crossed her mind a few times during her time with Clarke and maybe it was too soon to feel that way but she couldn’t help it.

She blew out a puff of air and when she opened her eyes, Clarke was smiling and Lexa knew nothing was better than that. No wish granted could give her something better than the sight of a smiling and happy Clarke Griffin, especially when she played a part in that happiness.

Eventually they got out of bed to get dressed so they could head to the coffee shop. They made a pit stop at Lexa’s apartment so she could get a fresh pair of clothes to replace hers from the day before, and then went to meet Anya. It was about noon when they arrived and only two patrons occupied the coffee shop. Both were reading and sipping from their coffee cups when Clarke and Lexa walked into the shop. 

“Hey boss,” Anya said cheerfully from behind the counter, “and also Clarke.”

“Gee thanks Anya, ” Clarke replied jokingly. 

“How was your morning?”

Lexa and Clarke looked at each other and smiled. “It was good,” Lexa said without taking her eyes off her girlfriend.

Anya narrowed her gaze and studied the way they were staring at each other. “I’m sure it was…”

“Hmm? Sorry what?” Clarke asked when Anya’s voice brought her out of their little world.

“Never mind, so anyways so like I said on the phone Max called out sick for his shift this afternoon which is why I need the help. I swear that boy can be so scatter brained sometimes.”

“Max is one of my part time employee’s,” Lexa explained to Clarke, “he’s 16 and he’s a sweet kid. I feel bad sometimes because we’re not as busy as we used to be so he doesn’t get a whole lot of hours but I try to help him out when I can.”

“Well what can I do to help?” Clarke asked. She put her hands on her hips and smiled excitedly. “Please put me to work.”

Lexa led Clarke behind the counter so they could put away their jackets and bags then handed her an apron. “Your uniform,” she said as Clarke tied it around her waist.

“How do I look?” Clarke twirled around and posed. “Would you drink coffee if I made it for you?”

“Do you know how to make a good cup of coffee?”

“Uh…well aside from that awful instant coffee stuff...no, not really.”

Anya just laughed and Lexa glared at her so she brought her fingers to her lips and pretended to lock them with an invisible key. 

“What about a lesson in making coffee then? How about a cappuccino?”

“Maybe you should start her off with something simpler Lex, like a plain old cup of black coffee,” Anya said.

Lexa glared at her again. “Anya, please go do something else.”

Clarke couldn’t help but chuckle as she watched the exchange between Anya and Lexa. It reminded her of how she used to act with her friends back home. She wondered what they would think of Lexa and if she’d ever get a chance to introduce them.

“Fine fine…just know she’ll make you do it until you get it to her level of perfection,” Anya said, her words directed at Clarke.

“Anya…go. Clarke, cappuccino?”

Clarke eagerly agreed and followed with a dedicated interest as Lexa walked her through the steps of preparing the drink starting with grinding the coffee beans to steaming the milk. Lexa finished off the drink by pouring an intricate design over the top with the steamed milk.

“How did you do that?” Clarke asked as her eyes filled with wonder at how seamlessly Lexa was able to make art on the top of a cup of coffee.

“Lexa has won two barista competitions Clarke, she’s a real coffee keener,” Anya said as she busied herself with refilling the glass cooler built into their counter with bottles of water and juice.

Lexa smiled bashfully and picked up the cup of coffee, handing it to Clarke. “It’s on the house,” she said.

“I learn something new about you everyday Ms. coffee queen,” Clarke replied. She admired the design on the top of the drink and almost didn’t want to ruin it by taking a sip.

“You want to try now?” Lexa asked as she set up what Clarke would need to recreate what she had done. She didn’t expect the art on top but she knew Clarke would probably try anyways. 

Clarke moved in front of the big fancy coffee machine that took up a large chunk of the counter. Just by looking at it, she could tell it was expensive and she never realized what really went into making good coffee until she was behind the counter at Grounders Coffee learning for herself.

Lexa stepped back to watch Clarke take charge and she felt pride fill her as Clarke followed all the steps she was shown correctly. The blonde fumbled a bit with the milk steamer and cursed under her breath causing Lexa to hold back a laugh.

“There,” Clarke said as she picked up the cup and held it out to Lexa. “How does it look?”

Anya’s curiosity got the best of her so she came up behind Lexa to peek over her shoulder at the cup. “Wow Clarke, not bad for a first timer.”

“Since Anya seems to be so interested in what you’ve made, let’s have her try it Clarke,” Lexa said.

Clarke turned and held the cup out towards Anya who gladly accepted it. As she anxiously anticipated the results she snuck a peek at Lexa who winked at her. It took a minute or so for any reaction and Clarke didn’t know why, but she felt like she was being judged and if it wasn’t good, Anya wouldn’t let her stay and help out at the shop despite that ultimately being Lexa’s decision.

“I don’t say this often, mostly because it takes a lot to impress me…but well done Clarke. That’s a pretty decent cappuccino,” Anya said. 

“Really? You mean that?”

Anya nodded. “I mean it. Nice one locking this one down Lex, she’s already better than the teeny bopper we pay to work here and she’s free.”

“The one WE pay to work here?” Lexa asked and crossed her arms, looking at Anya sternly. “I think you mean the one I pay to work here and you need to go easier on him or else I’ll make you work every Tuesday morning rush shift.”

“I almost always work Tuesday mornings anyways Lexa, you don’t scare me.”

“Go find something to occupy your time Anya, maybe see if any of our customers want anything else?”

Anya frowned and put the coffee cup down. “All two of our customers…” she muttered quietly as she moved out from behind the counter. 

Even though Lexa was Anya’s boss, Clarke saw the relationship between the two as more of the sibling type. Everything was said lightheartedly but something told Clarke that Lexa wasn’t afraid to really put her foot down when it came to telling people what to do because after all, she did own the place.

The rest of the afternoon went by quickly and by closing time Clarke had become a natural at using the coffee machine and Lexa had even taught her how to use the cash register. She had done a lot of different jobs in her younger years, from a file clerk in the hospital where her mother was a doctor to a lifeguard one summer at the local pool, but never before had she been a barista. 

Anya had long since gone home and Clarke and Lexa were sitting on the couch by the wall of books eating croissants and drinking tea. Lexa hadn’t turned off the coffee shop’s sound system for the day yet so music still floated through the room quietly in the background. Clarke started to absentmindedly hum along to a tune and Lexa sighed at the feeling of content and happiness that came over her in the moment. Clarke felt eyes on her so she turned to see that Lexa was gazing at her adoringly. 

“What?” Clarke asked, her lips curling up slightly in the corners.

“I’m really glad you were here today,” Lexa answered.

Clarke scooted closer to Lexa and reached out for one of her hands, entwining their fingers. “Me too,” she said. “Thanks for trusting me to not ruin your business. I’d have to do some pretty frowned upon things with you to try and keep my job if I did.”

Her words made Lexa laugh, a beautiful full-bodied laugh, and to Clarke the sound was easily one of the best things she could ever hear in her life. The word love popped into her head again and it almost reached the tip of her tongue before she roped it back in. She wasn’t quite ready to say it, but she was getting there. Both of them had fallen fast and hard and neither wanted it any other way.

“Care to elaborate on what some of those things are? I just want to make sure I can keep things professional…”

Clarke repositioned herself so she was straddling Lexa’s waist, much like she had done earlier that morning in her bed. She leaned in and pressed her lips to Lexa’s neck, kissing and sucking any exposed skin she could find as she trailed her way up to her ear. It was meant to be innocent but Clarke was having a hard time stopping herself from going any farther when the girl beneath her was practically at her mercy.

“Clarke…” Lexa said with a breathy voice, the name disappearing as she exhaled.

“Does this count as unprofessional?” Clarke whispered.

Lexa smiled and brought her hands to Clarke’s face, turning her head so they were facing each other. “I won’t tell if you won’t.”


End file.
